The Forsaken Call Read online

  When the day was over, they headed back to where they knew they would find the others. Other families were loitering around the entrance and did not seem to know who they were in relation to Baloric, but Jameson preferred it that way since he didn't have any news on him. In fact, he had been hoping someone would present him with news of Baloric's condition, yet nothing surfaced.

  Jameson hadn't necessarily expected to see everyone sitting around waiting for them to return, but he was surprised to find only Erestina sitting in the room when they came back to the inn. She was sitting by the window, gazing out it longingly and only looked up when she heard the door open and, upon seeing Johanna and Jameson, she jumped to her feet.

  "Jameson," she said immediately. "You have to go to Market City right away."

  "What? Why?"

  "It's Baloric. The others didn't know where you went so they had to go without you."

  "What about Baloric?" Johanna asked frantically as she grabbed onto Erestina to keep her steady. "What happened?"

  "I don't know all the details," Erestina confessed. "News came from Market City that he was captured and they're planning to execute him."

  Johanna let out a loud gasp and seemed to almost deflate. "Who is?" Jameson demanded.

  "Devin and the Forces, of course," Erestina answered. "He was weak after restoring your memory and destroying the Forces in the mines. Devin's having him publicly put to death."

  "When?" Jameson said.

  "The morning," Erestina said. "At dawn. Louisa and Felix have already gone ahead and told you to go after them."

  "We have to hurry," Johanna said, running to the door but Erestina held onto her arm.

  "Louisa told me to make sure you stayed here," Erestina said uneasily.

  "I can't stay here," Johanna said simply. "I have to go with Jameson and, Princess, you can't stop me."

  Erestina swallowed hard and then boldly said, "Then take me too."

  Jameson couldn't wait for them to sort things out and tore down the hallways and down the stairs to the back of the small inn. None of the horses were suited for travel so he grabbed a random horse and random saddle from a pile, not even sure who they belonged to, and decided it was necessary to commandeer some equipment. Even though he wasn't sure how he knew what he was doing, he strapped on the saddle in a matter of seconds and was already mounting when Erestina and Johanna came outside as well.

  "We're both coming," Johanna said, grabbing the reins of Jameson's horse so he couldn't leave.

  "There's no time," Jameson said as Johanna began to quickly saddle up a horse at a speed which rivaled Jameson's.

  "You have time to wait one minute," Johanna scolded him.

  "Princess, two people on one horse will take too much time," Jameson said. "You'll have to wait here."

  "All respect in the world intended, Jameson," Erestina said, nodding her head. "I can ride by myself."

  Jameson did feel a little guilty for automatically assuming she would need help riding, but something about Erestina was so fragile that it seemed to make sense at the time. He dismounted and saddled up another horse when Erestina was not moving fast enough to suit him, and then they all began to quickly go to the gates.

  As the gatekeeper began the long process of opening up the doors, Jameson looked at the two women behind him. "Everyone just go as fast as you can," he said. "If we lose each other, just keep going. We'll meet up again at Market City. The seconds count now."

  "I understand," Johanna said and Erestina nodded as well.

  They passed through the gates and Jameson immediately tested how fast his horse would go and tried not to even look back. Instinctively, he checked over his shoulder occasionally to see where Johanna and the princess were, but he lost them fairly quickly. He felt guilty for leaving them behind, but he also knew that Baloric was in trouble and the sooner he got to Market City, the better chance he had of rescuing him.

  He also felt partially responsible for what was happening. After all, if Baloric hadn't spent all that energy reviving his memory then he wouldn't have been so weak. Also, if he hadn't run off to the Forest unannounced then he could have even helped Baloric with the Forces which appeared in the mines instead of leaving him alone. Then, to add to it all, he had spent the entire day wandering around Miner Town when they knew Baloric's location. Somehow, everything was rooted back to lack of communication, so if the situation was resolved, Jameson promised himself that he would actively improve communication between them.

  Market City was not far away, but because time was so crucial, it seemed to take longer than he expected. He should have asked Erestina more questions before he left so quickly, like how long Louisa and Cyrus had been gone or if she knew anything about where Baloric was going to be executed. Jameson shook his head vigorously, saying out loud to himself, "Baloric will not be executed."

  It was beginning to get dark by the time he reached Market City and blindly rode in. Since all the shops were closed, there were no people on the street, which was lucky since he had some searching to do. He rode down the main street, looking for any clues or indications of Louisa, Cyrus or Baloric. On his left, he passed Meg's clothing store and paused for a few moments in front of it, wondering if she was inside, but then quickly reminded himself that there were more important things to do. Once Baloric was safe, he would go see Meg and explain to her what happened. She would understand, and how surprised she would be to learn that he was really the Jameson she met all those years ago.

  He kept riding down the street and found what he was looking for. There were several men in the very center of Market City building a large wooden platform which sat above a large fountain no longer containing water. They didn't seem to notice him at first, but when he pulled at the horse to stop it, the horse let out a soft whinny which gained the attention of the workers. When they turned to look at them, their eyes were white and vacant, so Jameson evaluated for himself that these men were not men at all, but Forces working for Devin.

  They stopped their work and began to walk towards him, so he turned the horse in the opposite direction and rode away. When he looked back, he saw them casually return to their work as if their only intention was to scare him away. That crude platform in the center of the city was being built for one purpose, which was to execute the only hero the people had left, and Devin wanted them all to watch.

  Jameson took the long way around and used back roads to reach the other side of the city where Baloric's small house was located. He was relieved to see light inside and two familiar horses outside. He dismounted and halfheartedly tied the horse to the pole, then barreled through the door where Louisa and Cyrus were sitting at a table, hardly surprised by his entrance.

  "It's about time," Louisa scolded him.

  "What's going on?" Jameson asked.

  "Remember how we wandered around aimlessly for a day and then went back to your house in the Forest?" Cyrus said. "That night is when Baloric returned from the mines. They captured him sometime then and, when morning rolled around, they sent giant Forces to destroy the town. I don't think it was their intention to make it seem as though Baloric had been crushed by the building."

  "They want his death to be public," Louisa said.

  "But how could they capture Baloric?" said Jameson. "It makes no sense. Weak or not, he still should have at least known they were coming and he would have woken up Jo and Erestina."

  "He might have passed out," Louisa said.

  "Or there might have been Gislan magic involved," Cyrus said. "Many Gislans are starting to follow Devin with promises that he'll improve their wastelands."

  "Like he could," Louisa said, rolling her eyes.

  "Okay, so they got him and they took him back here?" Jameson led.

  "Not back here," said Cyrus. "We're not sure where he is right now. He might even be in Ailyth right now for all we know."

  "The only thing we know for sure is that at dawn, he's going to be on that platform over the fountain," Louisa said. "An
d I don't know how they're going to kill him, but I bet they'll just cut off his head."

  "They," Jameson repeated. "You guys keep saying 'they.' Are you talking about Devin or someone in particular?"

  Louisa paused and nodded. "Do you remember those four girls we met in Gislan who told us they were sisters, but they actually ended up possessing Baloric for a bit?"

  "Her name was Quinn," Cyrus said. "She's the one who killed Walden."

  "It's likely it will be her," Louisa said, hugging her arms. "She already killed Walden, and now she's going to kill Baloric too."

  "Then…that must be how they're keeping control of him right now," Jameson announced. "Quinn can possess people. Or, her shadow can possess people."

  "Quinn has complete and utter control over whoever she chooses," Louisa said to Cyrus. "And it happened to Baloric once and he told me that he would rather die than go through it again."

  Just when things were getting tense, there was the sound of two more horses approaching and dismounting outside. "You didn't bring them, Jameson," Louisa said with a harsh glare.

  Jameson uneasily looked at the door as Johanna and Princess Erestina entered. "What's the plan?" Johanna asked immediately. "We have to rescue Baloric. First we find him, then we knock down whoever's in his way, and then that's that. What more is there?"

  "Princess, it would have been safer for you to stay," Cyrus said, looking ultimately concerned.

  "I'm sorry, Felix," Erestina said quietly.

  "Jameson," Louisa said, sounding angry.

  "I didn't have any time to convince them to stay," Jameson tried.

  "I can help!" Johanna said adamantly. "I've fought and killed Forces before!"

  "This isn't about killing Forces," Louisa interrupted. "It's about rescuing our friend."

  "I can help do that!" Johanna said. "He's my friend too!"

  "This is really delicate work," Louisa said.

  "I can be delicate!" Johanna declared. "I'm not leaving."

  "Louisa," Cyrus said before Louisa could yell another excuse for why Johanna couldn't be involved. Johanna beamed at Cyrus and mouthed a thank-you to him as Louisa finally threw her arms up in the air in defeat.

  "Fine," she said. "But if he ends up dead because of something you do, then it's not my fault."

  "It'll be my fault," Johanna agreed. "So what's the plan?"

  Jameson was caught in an awkward place between relieved that the argument was over, but a little disappointed with the outcome. Perhaps he should have been a little more responsible when in Miner Town to convince the two girls to stay. It was done now, though, so he just had to work with it.

  "We're going to situate ourselves in the front of the crowd," Cyrus began. "But it's important not to be in the very front because we don't want to be recognized."

  "Wait, we're going to wait until they actually bring him out to be killed before we do anything?" Johanna said.

  "We don't know where he is right now," Louisa said.

  "Then let's look for him!" Johanna said ambitiously.

  "That will just waste time," Louisa said.

  "Our best opportunity to rescue him will occur when they bring him out," Cyrus said. "The Forces guarding him will likely not be erratic if they're going to be in the middle of the city, so they'll probably have human form. This is good for us because they'll be easier to fight."

  "In the end, the biggest thing to worry about will be other people's rescue attempts," Louisa added.

  "You think others will try to rescue him?" Erestina inquired.

  "Definitely," Louisa said, nodding. "They won't be able to just sit back and watch their only hero killed in front of them."

  "Are we rushing the stage then?" Johanna suggested.

  "Whatever we do, we'll have to do it fast," Cyrus explained. "Baloric will not have the means to defend himself. They will not leave him unrestrained or have the opportunity to get armed at any point."

  "Do you think this is all a trap?" Jameson asked. "It all just seems a little too accessible."

  "Yes, probably," Cyrus said. "Devin's attempt could be to draw the rest of us out. Frankly, there is a chance that Baloric's already been killed."

  "Don't say that," Johanna commanded. "He's alive."

  "We can't ignore the possibility," Louisa said coldly.

  "Let's act on the idea that he's still alive," Jameson said cautiously, trying to avoid another argument. "We're all going to be standing in the front of the crowd but not the very front. Let's say second row. Then they bring him out onto the platform and, worst case scenario, there are… ten guards."

  "Twenty guards," Louisa corrected.

  "Twenty Forces who look like men," Jameson said. "What kind of fight are we looking at? Will they be armed? Will they be skilled?"

  "You don't have to worry about the guards, Jameson," said Cyrus. "I want your one and only concern to be Baloric. Once Louisa gives the signal, she's going to use her power to first distract the guards, and then attack them with a barrier. It will hit Baloric too and it might even hurt him but, through the chaos, you have to get to him. If it's possible, you have to free him too so he can help us fight off the rest of the guards."

  "And you all will take care of the guards until I can get to him," Jameson said with a nod.

  "But you have to assume he won't be able to help," Louisa added. "Assume they've locked him down with chains or even sedated him so he can't move at all. You'd be able to carry him, won't you?"

  "Yeah, of course," Jameson said. After he confirmed this, he only then stopped to consider whether or not he'd actually be able to. If he was remembering Baloric correctly, then he was about the same size as Luke, and Jameson had not been able to carry Luke at the Shrine. Since it was a crucial part of their plan, Jameson quickly shook his head. "I don't know if I'll be able to carry him."

  "Then we'll switch," Cyrus said. "I'll take Baloric."

  "But we need you to be fighting the guards," Louisa said. "No one's a better fighter than you are."

  "Me and Tina could," Johanna offered enthusiastically.

  "No," Cyrus said firmly. "We can't risk your life, Princess. Not after all that's happened."

  "I understand," said Erestina.

  "Jameson, you're just going to have to be stronger," Louisa said.

  "I don't want this to fall apart just because I can't pick him up," Jameson said, avoiding eye contact, a little humiliated that he was the weak link in the picture.

  "Drag him if you have to," said Louisa.

  Nervous and slightly overwhelmed, Jameson agreed.

  "What's the escape plan?" Johanna asked.

  "Run," said Cyrus. "And run fast."

  "Really?" said Johanna. "Why do I have a bad feeling about that?"

  "If you don't like it, then you can stay here with the princess," Louisa offered.

  "No, I'm coming too," Johanna said. "I like the plan."

  "Jameson, you'll need a new weapon," Cyrus said, striding across the small room and reaching for a door Jameson had not taken time to notice. "A proper sword. One with reach." He opened the door to reveal a small rack with several swords leaning against it. Randomly, he picked one of them up and examined the blade, as if ensuring its sharpness, then continued with, "Why don't you take your pick? I'm sure considering the circumstances, Baloric wouldn't mind."

  Louisa sighed and sat down on the small bed in the corner of the room. She looked like she would speak at first, and then looked down at the pillow which still had an indent in it from when Baloric last lied there.

  "I'll look them over," Jameson said with a nod.

  "Let's make sure he doesn't die," Louisa said. "We're not the only ones who need him."

  26. Fight Back

  Chapter 26

  Jameson never liked crowds, but it certainly wasn't the time for personal preference when he stepped out before the sun came up that morning. He and the others were already under enough pressure and the enormous crowd which was forming was not helping. As Jameson
scanned the faces, he wondered what would motivate someone to attend an execution of a beloved hero, or an execution of anyone at all.

  It was every man for himself to reach the front of the crowd so it would be plausible for them to storm the stage but also remain inconspicuous. Jameson had chosen a fairly long and powerful looking sword, keeping his arm by the handle as a buffer between someone who may accidentally bump against him. The last thing he needed was for anyone to give him away simple because they noticed he was carrying a sword around.

  When he reached the front of the crowd, he remained behind a thin layer of horrified individuals and he anxiously scanned the area, trying to find the others. He was fairly certain he saw Johanna but she quickly disappeared among the mob.